On Action at a Distance

"[E]very question relating to the forces acting on magnets or currents, or to the induction of currents in conducting circuits, may be solved by the consideration of Faradays lines of force. In this place they can never be forgotten. By means of this new symbolism, Faraday defined with mathematical precision the whole theory of electro-magnetism, in language free from mathematical technicalities, and applicable to the most complicated and simplest cases."

"[A]s for those who introduce ætherial, or other media... without any direct evidence... or any clear understanding of how the media work... the less these men talk about their philosophical scruples about admitting action at a distance the better."

"And when the Newtonian philosophy gained ground in Europe, it was the opinion of Cotes rather than that of Newton that became most prevalent, till at last Boscovich propounded his theory, that matter is a congeries of mathematical points, each endowed with the power of attracting or repelling the others according to fixed laws. In his world, matter is unextended, and contact is impossible. He did not forget, however, to endow his mathematical points with inertia."

"We have now arrived at the great discovery of Örsted of the connection between electricity and magnetism, Örsted found that an electric current acts on a magnetic pole, but that it neither attracts nor repels it, but causes it to move round the current. He expressed this by saying that "the electric conflict acts in a revolving manner." The most obvious deduction from this new fact was that the action of the current on the magnet is not a push-and-pull force, but a rotary force, and accordingly many minds were set a-speculating on vortices and streams of æther whirling round the current."

"[E]ach individual line has a continuous existence in space and time. When a piece of steel becomes a magnet, or when an electric current begins to flow, the lines of force do not start into existence each in its own place, but as the strength increases new lines are developed within the magnet or current, and gradually grow outwards, so that the whole system expands from within, like in our former experiment."

"I must ask you to go over very old ground, and to turn your attention to a question which has been raised again and again ever since man began to think."